U.S. patent number 4,915,450 [Application Number 07/367,469] was granted by the patent office on 1990-04-10 for work station system.
Invention is credited to Lloyd G. B. Cooper.
United States Patent |
4,915,450 |
Cooper |
April 10, 1990 |
Work station system
Abstract
A work station system (20) comprises a frame substructure (24)
for holding aloft a horizontal axial shaft (74). A chair (22) is
coupled to the shaft (74) by chair coupling member (90); a device
carriage (27) is coupled to the shaft (74) by a carriage coupling
member (92); and a footrest assembly (28) is coupled to the shaft
(74) by a footrest coupling member (94). The chair (22), device
carriage (27), and footrest assembly (28) are coupled to the shaft
(74) to selectively pivot together about the shaft (74), and in
such a manner that a constant spatial relationship is maintained
between the chair (22) and the device carriage (27). The chair (22)
is swivelly connected to the chair coupling member (90). The frame
substructure (24) is situated substantially entirely on one side of
a perpendicular bisector (78) dropped from the shaft (74) to a base
(50). The frame substructure (24) includes axis elevating means
(34) for elevating the shaft (74). The axis elevating means (34)
carries a support surface (248) which is accessible by a human
operator.
Inventors: |
Cooper; Lloyd G. B.
(Birmingham, AL) |
Family
ID: |
23447310 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/367,469 |
Filed: |
June 16, 1989 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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261525 |
Oct 24, 1988 |
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934970 |
Nov 25, 1986 |
4779922 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/423.35;
297/217.3; 297/188.21; 297/174R; 248/919; 297/423.3; 297/463.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
21/00 (20130101); A47B 21/03 (20130101); F16M
11/10 (20130101); A47B 83/001 (20130101); F16M
13/02 (20130101); F16M 11/2021 (20130101); A47B
2200/007 (20130101); A47B 2200/0069 (20130101); A47B
2083/025 (20130101); A47B 2200/0072 (20130101); Y10S
248/919 (20130101); F16M 2200/044 (20130101); A47B
2200/0023 (20130101); A47B 2200/0097 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
7/72 (20060101); A47B 21/03 (20060101); A47B
83/02 (20060101); A47B 83/00 (20060101); A47B
21/00 (20060101); F16M 11/06 (20060101); F16M
13/02 (20060101); F16M 11/02 (20060101); A47B
039/00 (); A47C 007/50 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/423,429,463,217,188,135,170,171,174,313,325,311,330
;248/1C |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2567378 |
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Jan 1986 |
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FR |
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302485 |
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Oct 1954 |
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CH |
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730745 |
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May 1955 |
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GB |
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2028117 |
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Mar 1980 |
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GB |
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Other References
Luigi Colani: Designing Tomorrow--Car Styling No. 23--Imported from
Japan by Kaneko Enterprises, Inc., 15641 Product Lane, A-10,
Huntington, CA 92649..
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Primary Examiner: McCall; James T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Griffin, Branigan & Butler
Parent Case Text
BACKGROUND
This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 07/261,525, filed Oct. 24, 1988 which in turn
is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
06/934,970, filed Nov. 25, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,922.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A work station comprising:
frame means for holding aloft a horizontal axis;
a chair for supporting a human operator;
a device carriage for supporting an operator-interactive
device;
footrest means;
coupling means for coupling said chair, said device carriage, and
said footrest means proximate said horizontal axis whereby said
chair, said device carriage, and said footrest means are
selectively pivotal together about said horizontal axis;
pivoting means for selectively pivoting said chair, axis device
carriage, and said footrest means about said horizontal axis;
and,
elevating means included in said frame means for selectively
elevating said horizontal axis.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said horizontal axis is a
horizontal shaft held aloft by said frame means, and wherein said
coupling means comprises:
a first coupling member for coupling said chair to said shaft;
a second coupling member for coupling said device carriage to said
shaft; and,
a third coupling member for coupling said footrest means to said
shaft.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first and second coupling
members are selectively lockable onto said horizontal shaft whereby
the spatial distance between an operator seated in said chair and
said device carriage remains essentially constant as said chair is
pivoted about said horizontal axis.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said coupling means comprises
a first coupling member for coupling said chair to said shaft, and
wherein said chair is swivelly connected to said first coupling
member about a swivel axis to facilitate ingress and egress from
said chair.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said footrest means is
adjustably extendable from said horizontal axis.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein device carriage is adjustably
extendable from said horizontal axis.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said footrest means is
angularly adjustable about said horizontal axis with respect to
said device carriage.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elevating means included
in said frame means comprises frame carriage means; and wherein
said frame means comprises guide means for defining a course of
travel for said frame carriage means.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said guide means defines a
linear course of travel for said frame carriage means, said linear
course of travel having a major axis inclined at an angle with
respect to the horizontal.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said angle is on the order of
about 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising frame carriage
drive means for moving said frame carriage along said course of
travel.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said frame carriage has
attached thereto said pivoting means for selectively pivoting said
chair about said horizontal axis.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said coupling means
comprises a first coupling member for coupling said chair to said
shaft, and wherein said first coupling member has said pivoting
means connected thereto.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said frame carriage means
carries a support surface accessible by said operator.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said frame carriage means
carries a horizontal support surface accessible by said
operator.
16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said frame means has a
housing, said housing being provided with a slot which is
essentially parallel to said course of travel, and wherein said
frame carriage means has an extension member thereon which extends
through said slot in said housing for carrying said support surface
accessible by said operator.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if a perpendicular bisector
were dropped to the ground from said horizontal axis, said frame
member is positioned substantially entirely to one side of said
perpendicular bisector.
18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said frame means has a front
wall which is angularly inclined with respect to the horizontal and
which extends toward said horizontal axis.
19. A work station comprising:
frame means for holding aloft a horizontal axis whereby, if a
perpendicular bisector extended from said horizontal axis to the
ground, said frame means would be substantially entirely on one
side of said perpendicular bisector;
a chair for suppoting a human operator;
a device carriage for supporting an operator-interactive
device;
coupling means for coupling said chair and said device carriage
proximate said horizontal axis whereby said chair and said device
carriage are selectively pivotal together about said horizontal
axis;
pivoting means for selectively pivoting said chair and said device
carriage about said horizontal axis; and,
elevating means included in said frame means for selectively
elevating said horizontal axis.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said elevating means
included in said frame means comprises frame carriage means; and
wherein said frame means comprises guide means for defining a
course of travel for said frame carriage means.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said guide means defines a
linear course of travel for said frame carriage means, said lineaer
course of travel having a major axis inclined at an angle with
respect to the horizontal.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said angle is on the order
of about 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal.
23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising frame carriage
drive means for moving said frame carriage along said course of
travel.
24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said frame carriage has
attached thereto said pivoting means for selectively pivoting said
chair about said horizontal axis.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said coupling means
comprises a first coupling member for coupling said chair to said
shaft, and wherein said first coupling member has said pivoting
means connected thereto.
26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said frame carriage means
carries a support surface accessible by said operator.
27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said frame carriage means
carries a horizontal support surface accessible by said
operator.
28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said frame means has a
housing, said housing being provided with a slot which is
essentially parallel to said course of travel, and wherein said
frame carriage means has an extension member thereon which extends
through said slot in said housing for carrying said support surface
accessible by said operator.
29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said frame means has a front
wall which is angularly inclined with respect to the horizontal and
which extends toward said horizontal axis.
30. A work station comprising:
frame means for holding aloft a horizontal axis;
a chair for supporting a human operator;
a device carriage for supporting an operator-interactive
device;
coupling means for coupling said chair and said device carriage
proximate said horizontal axis whereby said chair and said device
carriage are selectively pivotal together about said horizontal
axis, wherein said coupling means comprises a first coupling member
for coupling said chair to said shaft, and wherein said chair is
swivelly connected to said first coupling member about a swivel
axis to facilitate ingress and egress from said chair; and,
pivoting means for selectively pivoting said chair and said device
carriage about said horizontal axis.
31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said coupling means
comprises a second coupling member for coupling said device
carriage to said shaft; wherein said first and second coupling
members are selectively lockable onto said horizontal shaft whereby
the spatial distance between an operator seated in said chair and
said device carriage remains essentially constant as said chair is
pivoted about said horizontal axis.
32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said device carriage is
adjustably extendable from said horizontal axis.
33. A work station comprising:
frame means for holding aloft a horizontal axis;
a chair for supporting a human operator;
a device carriage for supporting an operator-interactive
device;
coupling means for coupling said chair and said device carriage
proximate said horizontal axis whereby said chair and said device
carriage are selectively pivotal together about said horizontal
axis;
pivoting means for selectively pivoting said chair and said device
carriage about said horizontal axis; and,
elevating means included in said frame means for selectively
elevating said horizontal axis; wherein said elevating means
included in said frame means comprises frame carriage means;
wherein said frame means comprises guide means for defining a
course of travel for said frame carriage means; and wherein said
frame carriage means carries a support surface accessible by said
operator.
34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said frame carriage means
carries a horizontal support surface accessible by said
operator.
35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said frame means has a
housing, said housing being provided with a slot which is
essentially parallel to said course of travel, and wherein said
frame carriage means has an extension member thereon which extends
through said slot in said housing for carrying said support surface
accessible by said operator.
36. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising frame carriage
drive means for moving said frame carriage along said course of
travel.
37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said frame carriage has
attached thereto said pivoting means for selectively pivoting said
chair about said horizontal axis.
38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said coupling means
comprises a first coupling means for coupling said chair to said
shaft, and wherein said first coupling member has said pivoting
means connected thereto.
Description
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to furniture such as office furniture, and
in particular relates to ergonometric work stations.
II. PRIOR ART AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Machine operators such as typists and video display terminal
operators frequently complain that the nature and positioning of
the work surface upon which their equipment is placed causes
fatigue. In particular, at a conventional desk an operator must
sit, perhaps for hours, with the operators' back being essentially
vertical in relation to the floor. Sitting erect subjects an
individual's back to an increased bending moment which is
substantially larger than the bending moment which is placed on an
individual's spine when the individual is standing erect. This
increased spinal loading for extended periods of time leads to back
injury. Also, it is not uncommon for a conventional desk to be
either too high or too low for a particular operator. Such
aggravations reduce the productivity of the employee.
Consequently, effort has been directed towards developing improved
work stations. More recently the ergonometric relationships between
the user and a computer or video display terminal have been brought
into consideration, primarily because of the unique problems facing
this type of system usage.
Various prior art devices provide a work surface which is
ultimately connected to a seat. for many of these devices it is not
possible to adjust the positioning of the work surface, such as the
angle of inclination of the work surface. For other devices it is
not possible to selectively adjust the extent to which the seat
reclines, much less to make such a seat adjustment while
maintaining a constant spatial relationship between the work
surface and the seated operator.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a work station wherein the spatial distance between a work
surface and a seated operator remains essentially constant as a
seat is selectively adjustable about a horizontal axis.
An advantage of the invention is the provision of a work station
for which an operator can selectively adjust the height and angle
of inclination of a plurality of support surfaces.
Another advantage of the invention is the provision of an
adjustable arm support which permits an operator to rest his arms
in a range of comfortable positions.
Another advantage of the present invention is the provision of a
work station for which the positioning of a work surface relative
to a chair can be adjusted to take into consideration the physical
characteristics and preferences of an operator.
SUMMARY
A work station system comprises a frame substructure for holding
aloft a horizontal axial shaft. A chair is coupled to the shaft by
a chair coupling member; a device carriage is coupled to the shaft
by a carriage coupling member; and a footrest assembly is coupled
to the shaft by a footrest coupling member.
The chair, device carriage, and footrest assembly are coupled to
the horizontal axial shaft to selectively pivot together about a
horizontal axis, and in such a manner that a constant spatial
relationship is maintained between the chair and the device
carriage.
The chair is swivelly connected to the chair coupling member to
facilitate ingress and egress from the work station system. The
chair coupling member also has one end of a pivoting drive means
connected thereto.
The frame substructure is situated substantially entirely on one
side of a perpendicular bisector dropped from the horizontal axial
shaft to a base or floor. The frame substructure has a front wall
which is angularly inclined with respect to the horizontal and
which extends toward the horizontal axial shaft.
The frame substructure includes axis elevating means for elevating
the horizontal axial shaft. The axis elevating means includes a
frame carriage which travels along an inclined, linear path. The
frame carriage carries a support surface which is accessible by a
human operator. In this regard, an extension provided on the frame
carriage extends through a slot provided in a frame housing and has
the support surface mounted thereon. Thus, when the horizontal axis
of the system is elevated, the support surface is elevated and
remains accessible to the operator.
The frame carriage also carries one end of a pivoting drive means.
The pivoting drive means is employed for selectively pivoting in
unison the chair, the device carriage, and the footrest. The other
end of the pivoting drive means is connected to the seat coupling
member.
The footrest assembly and the device carriage are extendable in
directions away from the horizontal axial shaft. Moreover, the
angular position of the footrest assembly relative to the device
carriage is adjustable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a work station system according to an
embodiment of the invention and showing a seat in a reclined
position.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the work station system according to the
embodiment of FIG. 1, but showing a seat in an erect position.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the work station system according to the
embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of a frame substructure of the work
station system of FIG. 1 when the seat is in an erect and extended
position.
FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of a frame substructure of the work
station system of FIG. 1 when the seat is in a reclined and
retracted position.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of a frame substructure of the work station
system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a top view of a frame substructure of the work station
system of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
An ergomometric work station 20 comprises a chair 22 for supporting
a human operator in a seated position; a frame substructure 24 for
holding aloft a horizontal axis 26; device carriage 27; footrest
assembly 28; coupling means 30 for coupling the chair 22, device
carriage 27, and the footrest 28 proximate the horizontal axis 26;
pivoting drive means 32; and, axis elevating means 34.
The frame substructure 24 comprises a frame housing 40 which
includes a planar right sidewall 42; a planar left sidewall 44; a
planar frontwall 46; and, a planar rearwall 48. As shown in FIGS. 1
and 2, for example, right sidewall 42 and left sidewall 44 are
trapezoidal in shape. Due to the trapezoidal shapes of the
sidewalls 42 and 44, the frontwall 46 and the rearwall 48 lie in
planes which are angularly inclined with respect to the floor or
base 50 upon which the frame housing 40 rests. As shown in FIGS. 4
and 6, for example, the rearwall 48 has a rectangularly shaped
aperture 51 formed therein.
The right sidewall 42 and the left sidewall 44 are provided with
guide plates 52R and 52L, respectively. Guide plate 52L is shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5. The guide plates 52 lie in planes substantially
parallel to the rearwall 48 and extend interiorly from their
respective sidewalls. The guide plates 52 extend from their
respective sidewalls into the interior of the frame housing 40 to a
point which is proximate the aperture 51 in the rear wall 48. That
is, the guide plates 52 extend from their respective sidewalls
approximately one-quarter of the width of the frame housing 40. At
their frontwardmost extent, the guide plates 52 connect to the top
of the frontwall 46.
Thus, the guide plates 52, the sidewalls 42 and 44 from which the
guide plates 52 extend, and the rearwall 48, cooperate to provide
opposed parallel rectilinear channels 53R and 53L which serve as
guide means for the axis elevating means 34. In a manner to be
described in more detail below, the channels 53 serve to define a
linear course of travel for the axis elevating means 34.
The frontwall 46 of frame housing 40 has a pair of spaced apart
brackets 54R and 54L provided on the interior surface thereof. The
brackets 54 support a crossbrace 55. An unillustrated block is
welded beneath the crossbrace 55 intermediate the brackets 54. The
unillustrated block has a counterthreaded bore therein sized to
receive a forward end of threaded shaft 56. A rearward end of the
threaded shaft 56 is received in a counterthreaded bore provided in
block 58. Block 58 is welded to the underside of frame carriage
crossbrace member 60, the function of which is described
hereinafter. The mounting of the unillustrated block beneath
crossbrace 55 is understood from the illustrated mounting of block
58 beneath frame carriage crossbrace member 60.
The axis elevating means 34 comprises a frame carriage 66. The
frame carriage 66 comprises two parallel, essentially rectangular
carriage bars 68R and 68L. The two carriage bars 68R and 68L are
sized to slidably fit into respective guide channels 53R and 53L.
The two carriage bars 68R and 68L are connected by the
afore-described frame carriage crossbrace member 60. With the bars
68 and crossbrace member 60 thus connected, from above the frame
carriage 60 has a quasi "H"-shaped appearance. At their rearmost
and interiormost extent, the bars 68 each have a depending
triangularly shaped bracket 70 formed on the underside thereof.
At their frontmost extent (i.e., the rightmost position as shown in
FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5), the bars 68 each have a hollow cylindrical
sleeve 72 formed therein for rotatably accommodating a rotatable
shaft 74 which is colinear with the horizontal axis 26. The sleeves
72R and 72L are thus aligned along axis 26 to receive the shaft
74.
FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 show a perpendicular bisector 78 dropped from the
horizontal axis 26 to the horizontal floor 50. FIGS. 1, 4, and 5
show that the frame substructure 24 is thus substantially entirely
on one side of the perpendicular bisector 78. This is, in FIGS. 1,
4, and 5 the frame substructure 24 is on the left of the bisector
78.
The coupling means 30 couples the chair 22, the device carriage 27,
and the footrest assembly 28 to the rotatable horizontal shaft 74.
The coupling means 30 includes a first coupling member 90 for
coupling the chair 22 to the shaft 74; a second coupling member 92
for coupling the device carriage 27 to the shaft 74; and, a third
coupling member 94 for coupling the footrest assembly 28 to the
shaft 74.
The first coupling member 90 couples the chair 22 to the shaft 74.
The first coupling member 90 is a cantilevered bracket having a
proximal end 100 semi-cylindrically curled around shaft 74. As
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, proximal end 100 of the first coupling
member 90 is locked on shaft 74 by key 102. As shown in FIG. 6, the
first coupling member has a substantially "U"-shaped cross section
as seen from the rear. In this regard, the first coupling member 90
has a chair-supporting surface 104 and two downwardly turned
flanges 106. The flanges 106 are perpendicular to the
chair-supporting surface 104; are parallel to one another; and, are
on opposite sides of the chair-supporting surface 104. Beneath the
chair-supporting surface 104, and toward the distal end thereof,
the two opposed flanges 106 rotatably accommodate respective ends
of drive connector shaft 108.
Toward its distal end, the chair-supporting surface 104 of the
first coupling member 90 has an aperture formed therein to securely
accommodate a chair mounting bushing 116 (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 7).
The chair mounting bushing 116 has a top flange 118 which rests on
top of the chair-supporting surface 104. A collar of the bushing
116 extends through the aperture formed in member 90. The bushing
116 has an inner diameter sized to accommodate a swivel pin 120
which depends from the underside of the chair 22 (see FIG. 1). The
swivel pin 120 is threaded to receive lock nut 122 to retain the
chair 22 on the chair coupling member 90. To facilitate the swivel
action of the chair about a swivel axis which is colinear with the
central axis of swivel pin 120, the bushing 116 is formed from a
self-lubricating material such as nylon or brass.
The chair 22 has a rigid chair spine 130 which is surmounted by an
extensible headrest 132. The chair spine 130 is covered with a
layer of foam 134 and a cover layer of fabric 136. Pivotally
connected to the chair 22 are arm support members 138. The manner
and point of attachment of the arm support members 138 to the chair
22 is understood from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/261,525,
filed Oct. 24, 1988, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.
06/934,970, filed Nov. 25, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,922, all
of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. As
mentioned above, the chair 22 is provided with the swivel pin 120
which depends from the underside of the chair spine 130 for
insertion into the bushing 116 carried on the chair coupling member
90.
As understood from United States patent applications Ser. Nos.
07/261,525 and 06/934,970, incorporated by reference herein, the
chair 22 includes seat portion 140 for supporting the thigh portion
of a human operator and a back portion 142 for contacting the back
portion of a human operator. The seat portion 140 has a front edge
144 which is proximate the back of a seated human's knee. The front
edge 144 of the chair 22, and hence the seated human's knee, is
proximate the horizontal axis 26.
The footrest assembly 28 is connected to the shaft 74 by third
coupling means 94. The third coupling means 94 is an elongated
hollow leg member 160 having rectangular cross section. At its
proximal end the leg member 160 has a cylindrical aperture for
accommodating the shaft 74. The leg member 160 is securely locked
onto the shaft 74 at one of a plurality of possible positions by a
slot and key arrangement. The relationship of the leg member 160
and shaft 74, as well as the slot and key arrangement, are
understood by reference to U.S. patent application Ser. No.
07/261,525, filed Oct. 24, 1988, and U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 06/934,970, filed Nov. 25, 1986, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,922,
and particularly with reference to the description in those
applications of the connection of a carriage to a main pivot
shaft.
The leg member 160 of the footrest assembly 28 has an ankle member
162 telescopically inserted into its distal end. Like the leg
member 160, a first end of the ankle member 162 is a hollow,
elongated member of rectangular cross section, with the outer cross
sectional dimensions being sized for insertion and sliding movement
within the inner cross sectional dimensions of the leg member 160.
The first end of the ankle member 162 is locked into position
within the leg member 160 by a locking screw 164 carried on the
underside of the leg member 160.
A second end of the ankle member 162 is formed to accommodate a
rotatable shaft 170. The second end of the ankle member 162 is
connected to distal end of the leg member 160 by a collapsible
bellows 171. The rotatable shaft 170 has keyed thereto a footrest
platform 172. Thus, by loosening the locking screw 164, the ankle
member 162 can be slid along the major axis of the leg member 160
so that the footrest platform 172 is at a desired distance from the
shaft 74, and the screw 164 again tightened. Also, the footrest
platform 172 can be pivoted to a desired orientation.
The device carriage 27 is coupled to the shaft 74 by the second
coupling member 92. Like the footrest leg member 160, the second
coupling member, or device carriage coupling member 92, is an
elongated hollow member having rectangular cross section. A
proximal end of the device carriage coupling member 92 forms a
sleeve 180 which rotatably accommodates shaft 74 therethrough.
By analogy to the footrest leg member 160 and the footrest ankle
member 162, the device carriage coupling member 92 has a
telescoping extension member 190. Telescoping extension member 190
has a first end of reduced cross section which is insertable into
the distal end of the device carriage coupling member 92. A second
end of the telescoping extension member 190 forms a sleeve 191 for
accommodating a shaft 192. A flexible bellows 194 connects the
telescoping extension member 190 to the second end of the device
carriage coupling member 92.
The shaft 192 extends axially beyond the device carriage coupling
member 92 into the plane of the paper in FIG. 1 (or rightwardly as
shown in FIG. 3). The shaft 192 ultimately has two devices
connected or mounted thereto. A first device, such as monitor
display 196, is mounted on a sleeved bracket 197 which fits over
the shaft 192. A second device, such as keyboard 198, depends from
a sleeved bracket 199 which also fits over the shaft 192. FIG. 3
shows the neighboring relation of the brackets 197 and 199 across
the width of the work station. The brackets 197 and 199 are axially
retained on the shaft by well known means such as by a shaft cap or
tightenable knobs.
Although a particular embodiment of the device carriage 27 is
illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, it should be understood that other types
of carriages, possibly carrying other types of devices, may be
employed. For example, the carriages shown in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 07/261,525, filed Oct. 24, 1988, and U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 06/934,970, filed Nov. 25, 1986, now
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,922, may be utilized. Moreover, the man skilled
in the art will realize that additional device supports can be
attached or appended to the device carriage.
The pivoting drive means 32 serves to selectively pivot the chair
22, the device carriage 27, and the footrest assembly 28 in unison
about the rotational axis 26 (i.e., about shaft 74). The pivoting
drive means 32 includes a conventional electric worm gear drive
200. As shown in FIGS. 4--6, the worm gear drive 200 includes an
electric drive motor 202 and telescoping drive cylinders, in
particular lower cylinder 204 and upper cylinder 206. In one
embodiment the worm gear drive 200 is manufactured by Duff-Norton
as model number SPA-6405.
At its lower end the lower cylinder 204 is pivotally connected to a
shaft 208 that is carried between the two triangularly-shaped
carriage bar brackets 70R and 70L. At its upper end, the upper
cylinder 206 is similarly pivotally connected to the drive
connector shaft 108 that is carried between the depending flanges
106 provided on the chair coupling member 90. As shown in FIGS. 4
and 5, the cylinders 204 and 206 of the worm gear drive 200 extend
through the aperture 51 provided in the rearwall 48 of the frame
housing 40.
The angular orientation of the device carriage 27 about the shaft
74 may be adjusted relative to the position of the footrest
assembly 28 using carriage inclination adjustment means 220. As
shown in FIGS. 1--3, the carriage inclination adjustment means 220
comprises a worm gear drive similar to the afore-described worm
gear drive 200. The worm gear drive of the carriage inclination
adjustment means 220 includes an unillustrated drive motor; lower
cylinder 222; and, upper cylinder 224. A lower end of the lower
cylinder 222 is pivotally attached to a pin 226 carried in the
interior of the footrest leg member 160. An upper end of the upper
cylinder 224 is pivotally attached to a pin 228 carried in the
interior of the carriage coupling member 92. As shown in FIG. 3,
the upper surface of the footrest leg member 160 has an aperture
230 therein through which the lower cylinder 222 extends; the
underside surface of the carriage coupling member 92 has an
aperture 232 therein through which the upper cylinder 224
extends.
The worm gear drives described herein are electrically operated and
have electrical switches placed in proximity to the seated human
operator for controlling the actuation of the worm gear drives.
The right frame carriage bar 68R has a bar extension 240 provided
thereon which extends out of the plane of the paper in FIG. 1 and
through a slot 242 provided in the rightside wall 42 of the frame
housing 40. The bar extension 240 is a straight shaft having a
first end connected to the frame carriage bar 68R. A second end of
the bar extension 240 has a vertical bracket 244 provided thereon.
A planar support surface 248 is mounted on the upper end of the
vertical bracket 244. The support surface 248 extends from the
region of the shaft 74 rearwardly toward the seated operator and is
accessible by the operator.
The work station system according to the invention accommodates
human operators of different sizes, and permits a seated operator
to assume changeable orientations without changing the spatial
relationship between the seated operator and use interactive
devices mounted or carried on the device carriage 27. The operator
is granted graceful ingress and egress from the work station, and
has convenient access to multiple device and work station
surfaces.
For ingress into the work station system, the pivoting drive means
32 is preferably set so that the chair 22, the device carriage 27,
and the footrest assembly 28 are oriented in the manner shown in
FIG. 2. For ingress, the operator may swivel the chair 22 about the
axis of swivel pin 120 so that the seat portion of the chair 22
acquires the orientation shown by broken lines 140' in FIG. 7. Once
seated, the operator can swivel the chair 22 back so that the seat
portion acquires the orientation shown by broken lines 140 in FIG.
7.
It should be noted that both the chair 22 and the footrest assembly
28 are rigidly connected to the shaft 74. That is, although the
shaft 74 with the chair 22 and footrest assembly 28 rigidly secured
thereto may rotate about axis 26 under the control of the pivoting
drive means 32, neither the chair 22 nor the footrest assembly 28
can rotate relative to the shaft 74. Moreover, when the pivoting
drive means 32 is in a set position, such as the position shown in
FIG. 2, the shaft 74, the chair 22, and the footrest assembly 28
are angularly stationary with respect to the horizontal axis 26. In
this regard, the worm gear drive 200 of the pivoting drive means 32
serves to lock the chair 22 and the footrest assembly 28 into
position, since the worm gear drive 200 is inherently a self
locking drive. That is, the load on the worm gear output shaft
cannot feed back through the worm gear and cause the drive motor
input shaft to turn.
If an operator determines that the current setting of the footrest
assembly 28 does not comfortably accommodate the operator's legs,
the operator can easily adapt the footrest assembly 28. For
example, if the operator requires more leg room, the operator can
raise the horizontal axis 26 and lengthen the extent of the
footrest assembly 28. In this respect, if it is assumed that upon
the operator's initial seating the frame carriage 66 is in the
retracted position shown in FIG. 5, the operator can access the
threaded shaft 56 using a hand crank to rotate the shaft 56 so that
the frame carriage 66 travels angularly upwardly along the guide
channels 53 in the direction of arrow 250 shown in FIG. 5 to
achieve a desired elevation such as that shown in FIG. 4. In this
regard a second threaded shaft 251 is connected to shaft 56 in
perpendicular fashion and is carried by brackets 54R and 54L. The
second threaded shaft 251 is accessible through an aperture 251A
provided on the right sidewall 42 (see FIG. 1). Shaft 251 meshes
with shaft 56 so that rotation of shaft 251 via the unillustrated
hand crank causes rotation of shaft 56, and hense translation of
the frame carriage 66.
Once the elevation of the horizontal axis 26 has been adjusted in
the manenr just described, the operator can lengthen the extent of
the footrest assembly 28 by loosening the locking screw 164
provided on the footrest leg 160 and sliding the footrest ankle 162
to the desired extent, as described hereinbefore. The operator then
tightens the locking screw 164.
When seated in the chair 22, the operator can adjust the spatial
distance between himself and the device carriage 27. This
adjustment is accomplished using the carriage inclination
adjustment means 220. The operator actuates the drive motor for the
worm gear drive included in the adjustment means 220 so that device
carriage 27 and the footrest assembly 28 are at a desired angle 252
with respect to one another about the horizontal axis 26. When the
adjustment means 220 is set at the desired angle, that angle is
maintained by virtue of the already-explained self locking features
of the worm gear drive. In this respect the broken lines 196 of
FIG. 2 show another and smaller angle 252 between the device
carriage 27 and the footrest assembly 28.
With the chair 22 and the footrest assembly 28 rigidly connected to
the shaft 74, and with the device carriage 27 in fixed angular
relation to the footrest assembly 28 in the manner just described,
it is understood that a constant spatial relationship is maintained
between the chair 22 and the device carriage 27, and hence between
an operator seated in the chair 22 and devices carried on the
device carriage 27.
The constant spatial relationship between the chair 22 and the
device carriage 27 is maintained even as the chair 22, the device
carriage 27, and the footrest assembly 28 are pivoted in unison
about the horizontal axis 26. In this regard, the work station
system can be pivoted to the reclined orientation shown in FIG. 1,
or to the erect orientation shown in FIG. 2, without changing this
spatial relationship.
The operator cna pivot the work station system 20, such as to the
reclined orientation of FIG. 1 or to the erect orientation shown in
FIG. 2, by actuating the worm gear drive 200 of the pivoting drive
means 32. As mentioned above, as the upper cylinder 206 of the
drive 200 extends, the chair 22, the device carriage 27, and the
footrest assembly 28 move together in unison while maintaining the
fixed spatial relationship between these elements.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various alterations in
form and detail may be made therein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although the
drawings illustrate a work station system wherein ingress and
egress occur at a left side, it should be understood that in other
embodiments a right entry and exit is provided.
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